How Westside Veterinary Saved Time and Grew Clients 21% with PetDesk
Products:
PetDesk Communications
PetDesk Phones
PetDesk Direct Booking
PetDesk Marketing
The Challenge
Westside Veterinary Service struggled with inefficiencies in client communication, phone call overload, website management, and appointment scheduling. Their outdated systems led to frustrated staff and clients, reducing overall productivity and patient care quality.
The Solution
By implementing PetDesk’s core four solutions—PetDesk Communications, PetDesk Phones, PetDesk Direct Booking, and PetDesk Marketing—Westside Veterinary Service significantly streamlined operations, improved communication, and enhanced the client experience.
The Results
A major reduction in phone calls, freeing up the front desk and reducing staff stress
Over 500 online appointments booked in just a few months—33.4% outside business hours
21% of bookings from new clients via Direct Booking
2,382 active app users, with 510 confirmations in just one month
A professional new website that’s easier to update, more client-friendly, and now their top conversion channel
Huge time savings for the team—at least a couple of hours per week just on website tasks
PetDesk Communications
Improving Client Communication with PetDesk Communications
Before PetDesk, the team at Westside Veterinary Service struggled with constant phone tag. Clients wouldn’t answer unknown numbers, delaying crucial updates such as post-surgery information and prescription refills.
“With PetDesk, sending a quick text has made communication much more efficient. Now, we can text updates like: ‘Hey! Amos is out of surgery. He did great and will be ready for pick-up tomorrow. If you have any questions, let us know!’ This has saved us so much time and improved our client experience.” – Chelsea Hendrick, Practice Manager
‘We were drawn to the text messaging feature of PetDesk App’
With text messaging, staff can now send a quick message and move on, significantly saving time and reducing stress for both front desk teams and doctors.
“Texting also ensures clear, precise communication. For example, if we say, ‘Be here at 9 AM’, there’s no risk of someone mishearing and showing up at 10 AM. Clients can also refer back to messages if they forget something, which has been really useful.”
PetDesk Communications
PetDesk App Users
%
of active clients have the app
(The benchmark is 20%)
Digital confirmations from February 2025
The above data is from January to December 2024
“We’ve grown as a clinic…in terms of day-to-day efficiency, texting has been the biggest game-changer.”
‘Our staff is happier being able to text clients instead of making phone calls.’
Texting has also reduced staff stress, allowing them to communicate efficiently without making endless phone calls.
“Some of our technicians dislike making phone calls, so they’re much happier being able to text clients instead. Also, one of our CSRs found PetDesk’s compliance tracking easier to use than our PIMS (Cornerstone).”
By replacing time-consuming calls with quick, effective text communication, the team has improved efficiency and created a better experience for both staff and clients.
‘Texting has been the biggest benefit PetDesk Communications has brought to us, hands down.’
When we asked her what has been the biggest benefit PetDesk has brought to the clinic, Chelsea said, “We’ve grown as a clinic, but I don’t have hard metrics to attribute that directly to PetDesk. However, in terms of day-to-day efficiency, texting has been the biggest game-changer.”
“Previously, with only three lines, we constantly had clients saying, ‘I tried calling, but it was busy.’ Now, with PetDesk Phones, we can handle multiple calls at once.”
chelsea hendrick, practice manager, westside veterinary service
PetDesk Phones
Streamlining Calls with PetDesk Phones
Westside implemented PetDesk Phones in the fall of 2024, marking a significant transition from their previous setup.
Before the upgrade, the clinic relied on old-school analog phones, consisting of three lines and a fourth that doubled as a fax line. This system frequently led to issues with busy signals and lacked a phone tree, making call management inefficient. The impact? Hear it from Chelsea herself:
“I can think of a couple of key benefits straightaway with PetDesk Phones:
- Cellphone Apps: Doctors can now call through the app, masking their personal numbers with the clinic’s—eliminating direct client access.
- Remote Work: The cellphone app enables seamless connectivity from home. Even during heavy snow, calls were answered and transferred as if staff were in the clinic, with no disruption for clients.
Overall, it’s been a major upgrade.”
“One of our employees saw PetDesk Phones at a conference booth. We were already exploring phone systems, and after a few meetings, the Cornerstone integration became the deciding factor for us.” – Chelsea
By modernizing their phone system, Westside Veterinary Service improved accessibility, ensuring pet parents could always reach them without frustration.
“When PetDesk websites came highly recommended, we decided to go for it. It was definitely the right choice. Now, our website looks polished and professional.”
chelsea hendrick, practice manager, westside veterinary service
PetDesk Marketing
A More Professional and Effective Website with PetDesk Marketing
Westside’s previous website was something they built themselves. At the time, they thought it looked great, but after comparing it to other clinics’ websites, they quickly realized it was not up to par.
The biggest challenge they faced was inconsistency—there was no uniform branding, color scheme, or design continuity, which resulted in a disjointed overall appearance.
“When PetDesk websites came highly recommended, we decided to go for it. It was definitely the right choice. Now, our website looks polished and professional. Plus, updating it is incredibly easy—if we need to change our hours, update staff listings, or tweak anything, we just send an email and PetDesk handles it within 24-48 hours.”
“Having a well-structured website with clearly listed services, team bios, and photos has definitely made a difference. Clients can now get a sense of who we are before they even step through the door. I think this personal touch makes people more comfortable—they see familiar faces online and know what to expect when they arrive.”
‘PetDesk has been great with providing customization offers for our website’
On the topic of customization, she was quick to tell us that at any time they needed anything changed or customized, PetDesk was quick to do so.
“PetDesk worked with us to match our clinic’s branding. We sent in clinic photos, and they replaced most of the stock images with our own staff and facility pictures, which makes the site feel much more personal and authentic. For example, we recently started accepting online payments, and all we had to do was email them, “Hey, can we add a payment button to the website?”—and they made it happen quickly.”
On another occasion, Chelsea told us about how a service was listed under the wrong category, and they wanted it to have its own section. Once again, it was no issue—the adjustment was made smoothly and without any hassle.
PetDesk Marketing
Of appointments booked in Nov and December 2024 through PetDesk Direct Booking, 78.5% came via the website.
Over 730 minutes is recorded as the average time spent on the website
In 2024, 5625 new users arrived on the website through organic search
The above data is from January to December 2024
“A lot of pet owners don’t realize what we offer until they see it online. For example, someone might visit the website and think, ‘Oh! Westside actually offers boarding!’ or ‘I didn’t know they did ultrasounds!’ It helps set us apart from other clinics in the area and makes it easier for clients to understand the full range of services we provide. That has been the biggest impact.”
chelsea hendrick, practice manager, westside veterinary service
“…Now, we simply submit updates once a year—like holiday closures—and PetDesk handles the rest. It’s a huge time saver.”
‘Having PetDesk manage our website makes us save at least a couple of hours a week.’
We asked Chelsea if she has been able to save time by having someone design and update her website, she exclaimed, ‘Absolutely, it does!’.
“I’d estimate it saves me at least a couple of hours per week—and that’s just for regular updates. When we built the website ourselves, it was a constant, time-consuming task. Now, we simply submit updates once a year—like holiday closures—and PetDesk handles the rest. It’s a huge time saver.”
‘Our clients mention our websites all the time!’
Westside’s pet owners seem to like the website and some of them have specifically mentioned, “Oh, I saw that on your website,” when discussing their services.
“We also track where new clients find us in our PIMS, and many have selected ‘Found via website’. A lot of clients likely googled us, saw our strong reviews, and decided to give us a try because the website looked professional and inviting.”
PetDesk Direct Booking
Seamless Scheduling with PetDesk Direct Booking
Westside Veterinary Service saw immediate value in PetDesk Direct Booking, literally within an hour!
Since Westside clinic already had a website, having a direct booking button floating on it makes such a difference. We wanted to know how it helped Chelsea and her team.
“PetDesk advised us to give ourselves time to adjust with the tool. But within an hour of adding the widget, we had our first booking—without any promotion! Some staff didn’t even know it was live yet, and it was already working. Clients use it regularly, and it’s great for directing callers who need time to check their schedules.”
“We started using it in December, so we’re still new to it. But it’s already making a difference.”
PetDesk Direct Booking
%
Out of hours bookings
Appointments booked
%
of clients who came via PetDesk Direct Booking were new clients.
This data is from November 2024 to March 2025
‘PetDesk Direct Booking’s features are well worth the investment.’
Chelsea shared that the clinic had been considering Direct Booking for some time but initially found the cost to be a concern. As a clinic, you may feel that too. However, read on to see what Chelsea thought:
“It felt like, ‘Am I really paying this much just so people can click a button instead of calling?’ I had to mentally work through whether it was worth the investment. Believe me, it worked out so much better than I thought. At the end of the day, the features PetDesk Direct Booking provides were worth it.”
“With PetDesk Direct Booking, clients can now select their doctor and instantly see their availability, making the process much smoother. If they don’t have a preference, they can also view all available slots across the team, which has been a game-changer.”
‘I have noticed a phone call decrease since implementing PetDesk Direct Booking’
Chelsea and her team are new to Direct Booking but it seems like they have already noticed a change in call volume and workflow efficiency.
“I don’t have exact numbers, but I do think phone calls have decreased. When I do work at reception, I’ve noticed a difference. And we’ve only just started actively promoting PetDesk, so I expect call volume to drop further as more clients get used to booking online. Personally, I prefer to type a quick message rather than make a call, and I know many clients feel the same way.”
“With PetDesk Direct Booking, clients can now select their doctor and instantly see their availability, making the process much smoother. If they don’t have a preference, they can also view all available slots across the team, which has been a game-changer.”
‘The customizability of PetDesk and syncing with our PMS has been a huge help’
The team is very happy with the customizability of PetDesk Direct Booking, especially as it syncs with their PMS directly.
“We find PetDesk’s Direct Booking very customizable, especially when it comes to slot exclusions and doctor availability. Our doctors don’t have fixed surgery days but instead work in scheduled blocks throughout the day. PetDesk can read our Cornerstone scheduling system and recognize those blocks automatically, making it far easier than manually blocking off time each day. That feature has been a huge help.
“One thing I do like is the chat support feature on PetDesk’s website. It’s really convenient because I can multitask while waiting for a response, instead of being stuck on hold.”
‘The onboarding process was super smooth!’
Chelsea remembers the onboarding and transitioning being super smooth. She recalls:
“Overall the onboarding process for all four tools was super smooth. Katie Conran handled our onboarding, and she was amazing—super responsive and incredibly helpful. I emailed her with so many questions, and she always provided clear answers. I even asked if I could keep her for all my future PetDesk needs!”
“I would absolutely recommend PetDesk, especially as all products work amazingly together! It’s streamlined our scheduling, reduced phone calls, and made booking more convenient for clients. It’s a fantastic tool that’s making a real difference in our clinic.”
chelsea hendrick, practice manager, westside veterinary service
